"Ten years ago, the leader of our race, Chancellor Puddinghead, discovered a new land for all ponies to live in. Princess Platinum and Commander Hurricane worked together for the first time while colonizing our new home. The land seemed like a wonderland, fresh and warm for planting and living. Our existence here is nothing short of a miracle. Our lands are fertile, and we are treated better than we ever were back in Dream Valley. The great human of myth, Megan, left us to fend for ourselves..."
"Rubbish!" yelled one of the townsponies, stopping the storyteller in his tracks. My younger sister, Raindancer, moaned in disappointment. "Daedra, why did the mean pony stop the story?"
My heart melted when I looked at her sad face. "Don't worry, Rainy," I said. "Some ponies don't like stories of old. It makes them miss our old home." The explanation seemed to make sense to her, and she dropped the issue. "C'mon, lets go see if dinner is ready."
Together we set off towards the small hut where we lived with our mom and dad. Raindancer was trying to walk and clean her grey fur at the same time, causing her to trip. This caused her to begin worrying about her light-blue mane. I could never understand that about her, but then again my fur was black. My only major concern was the red streak in my mane and the place where my cutie mark would one day go.
We lived in the small town of Riverfall, which was a beautiful farming community. I waved at old Farmer Brown and galloped towards our home. Inside, the smell of apple pie was overpowering. My mother, a red pony with a blonde mane, walked in holding a slice of pie for myself and my sister. "How was the storyteller?" she asked as we stuffed our faces with pie.
"Mhu grhurded mersh herger..." she attempted to say before swallowing, "He was great. He told all of us stories of our old lands, and legends of this one. Like, he told one about glowing metal humans with metal dogs and dragonflies." She was referring to the legends of Oblivious, an ancient city overwhelmed by these large beings. They were said to shoot fire from their limbs or heads, depending on the species. Everypony referred to them as "Oblivians", but no signs of them ever existed. My father was a major believer in the legends, but everypony knew he was a bit wacky. Humans, though, were believed to be little more than a joke.
After finishing our pie, my sister begged me to take her out to the Everfree Forest to play. Grabbing my father's saddle-mounted crossbow, we set out for the edge of the woods. Immediately after arriving, Raindancer bolted off to play. I sat there fiddling with my crossbow when the most beautiful voice spoke to me. "Well, heya Daedra. How ya doin'?"
Sure enough, there stood Nebula, one of the only unicorns in town and the most beautiful mare I knew. Her white fur and dark blue mane gave her the appearance of royalty. I had a MAJOR crush on her, but was too shy to tell her. It was partly because she was my friend, but mostly because she was older than me and had her cutie mark ( a black moon and a white sun ).I had known her for my entire life and spent all my time with her. She had a tendency to poke some harmless fun at my name, but it never bothered me.. "Not much, Nebula. Just getting ready to find my sister. She ran into the woods to play."
Nebula laughed, causing me to blush. "Ok. Do ya mind if I tag along?" I could only nod as I got up and began walking into the forest. "So, that storyteller was fantastic, huh?" she asked. Still slightly hyperventilating, I merely nodded again. My crossbow clanged against my leg as we trekked deeper into the Everfree. We lapsed into silence as the path became darker and darker.
“So, Neb,” I said in an attempt to break the silence. “How’s your family been?
“Not half bad,” she responded, smiling. “My dad is in Paradise Estate right now, trying to move the rest of our family back here to Riverfall. My grandpa isn’t too happy though.” I chuckled; her grandfather was apparently one of the most old fashioned ponies who ever lived. I had been born a year before the discovery of Equestria, so all I could remember was living in Riverfall. Nebula, on the other hoof, had been three when Puddinghead had brought the good news to the wasteland that Ponyland had become.
We carried on like this for ten minutes, but soon the fun came to an end. We found Raindancer in a clearing, where she was drawing a picture in the mud. "Well hi, Raindancer," said Nebula as we walked up. Raindancer ran up and hugged Nebula as I came into the clearing. “Oooooh, have Daedra and Nebula been in a tree?” As I started laughing, my life descended into hell.
A loud buzzing noise sounded through the woods as several glowing beasts appeared around us. They were big, silver monsters with swords and assorted metal rods. Nebula screamed as one of the creatures extended a limb and grabbed her and Raindancer. I yelled and fired the crossbow at the monster, who deflected it and turned toward me. It opened it's face, revealing a fiery skull underneath. A voice spoke from the creatures mouth. "Unidentified species has initiated hostilities. Take these two alive. Kill the rest."
The creature raised the metal rod in it's right hoof, and fire shot out into my chest. I heard Nebula scream and Raindancer begin crying.
Then, nothing.
_______________
I woke up with pain all over my body and a strange sense of peace. I tried to rise, but fell back onto my knees.
That's when I began screaming. My chest and body was encased in black metal armor, similar in all but color to the creatures who had taken Nebula and my sister. I felt like my chest was on fire, my legs were wobbly, and my head was pounding. Turning towards home, I saw large pillars of smoke rising into the sky. My heart dropped out of my body as I began to speed-limp towards the village.
The path I walked on was scorched and trampled, presumably by the creatures. My heart felt like it was going to explode as my adrenaline soared. As I neared the end of the path, I tripped on a tree root and hit the ground with a clang. Looking up, I thought I saw a lumpy black blob fly through the sky. Paying it no mind, I got back on my hooves and bolted towards the place I loved.
When I arrived at the village, the horrific remains brought tears to my eyes. My village had been burned to the ground, and ash filled the air. The bodies of the ponies I'd known and loved lay sprawled where they had died, burned and dismembered. I ran to my house, passing the body of Farmer Brown as I ran. Compared to my house, the other homes were in fair condition. My family’s hut was a burned mess. The roof had collapsed, causing the small second floor to smash into the first. Running inside, I found my mother's body draped over the stove. As I stared at her dismembered corpse, I heard a faint voice whispering my name. Following the voice from the small kitchen to the caved-in living room, where I found my father buried under the rubble of the mantle piece. A pool of blood flowed out from his body. As I ran towards him, he looked up at me with a look of impossible calm. "Come here, my son. Come and comfort a dying old stallion."
I shook my head, tears spilling unchecked down my face. "Dad, you’re going to be fine..."
"No, I'm not going to make it out of this one," he responded. "I saw the Oblivians take Nebula and your sister. Daedra, you need to find them." He coughed, spewing up blood. Reaching his hoof into the pile of rubble, he withdrew a black short sword. I recognized it immediately. My father had hung it on the mantle ages ago, claiming it had some value. Now I realized it was similar in design to the blades that the creatures had been holding. "Take this. Save your sister. Please. Please..." His voice turned into a death rattle, and his eyes closed for the last time. Grabbing his body in my hooves, I sobbed and sobbed before finally descending into sleep.
